Today I’ve published a short article about art, subsidies, and quality standards in the Dutch daily De Volkskrant . What is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ art? In short: the difference cannot be determined on the basis of intrinsic or objective features of an art work. What is good/bad is decided in a network of persons, most of them quite influential in the art worlds.
The 9th International Symposium on Computer Music Modeling and Retrieval (CMMR) Music and Emotions will take place at Queen Mary University of London on 19-22 June 2012.
Music can undoubtedly trigger various types of emotions within listeners. The power of music to affect our mood may explain why music is such a popular and universal art form. This is probably due to the fact that, as human listeners, we are hard-wired to enjoy music. Research in cognitive science has shown that some music pieces can enhance our intellectual faculties in given conditions because they change our mood and induce positive affects. Music psychology studies have shown our ability to discriminate various types of expressive intentions and emotions in the composer/performer musical message. But the understanding of the genesis of musical emotions, the mapping of musical variables to emotional responses, and the automatic retrieval of high-level descriptors characterising emotions, remain complex research problems.
For more info see here.
Pop venues in Rotterdam sound the alarm: the austerity politics of the local authorities will result in a disaster for the pop climate in the city. Read more here (in Dutch).
Flashmob in Copenhagen. Members of the Copenhagen Philharmonic playing Grieg in the undergound. Is that the future of classical music? And why Grieg for God’s sake?
I like (some) classical music but I wonder why ‘we’ (taxpayers) should keep on supporting orchestras and other ensembles that are all playing the same repertoire over and over again and for which Mahler is already extremely modern music. I observe a huge gap between the music invented by contemporary composers and what professionally trained musicians are able and willing to play. IOW, a reorganization of the classical music world is definitely advisable.
Jazz has been a force for positive social transformation throughout its history, and it remains so today. This is why UNESCO created International Jazz Day on April 30. From its roots in slavery, this music has raised a passionate voice against all forms of oppression. It speaks a language of freedom that is meaningful to all cultures.The same goals guide UNESCO in its efforts to build bridges of dialogue and understanding between all cultures and societies.
Making music with musical jelly. Read here an article about this topic (in Dutch).
Rethinking Live Classical Music Seems to be an interesting book on possible innovations in the presentation of ‘classical’ music.
A conference on art and ethics at Trinity Western University, Langley (British Columbia, Canada), 18-19 October 2012.
More information: see http://www.twu.ca/academics/samc/interdisciplinary/conferences/
Information about the Second Annual Conference is now available at
http://www.musicandphilosophy.ac.uk/conference-2012/programme/
Thinking Sounds 